webfact Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Australian writer and TV critic Clive James dies aged 80 FILE PHOTO: Author Clive James poses with a copy of his new book of essays "Cultural Amnesia" in New York's Bryant Park March 30, 2007. At almost 900 pages, James' latest work offers essays on influential figures of the 20th Century. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) - Clive James, an expatriate Australian writer and broadcaster who wrote incisively and often hilariously about television, literature and current affairs, has died aged 80, his agents said on Wednesday. James, a big name in British television and radio in the 1980s, was influential in media circles and won awards for journalism and broadcasting. His often coarse, dead-pan style peaked in popularity in the 1980s with the show “Clive James on Television”, in which he lampooned clips of absurd international television shows, in particular a Japanese contest called “Endurance”. He wrote a newspaper column titled “Reports of My Death” in The Guardian after being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2010. In 2016 he said his longevity after announcing his illness was “embarrassing”. As comfortable writing about low-brow as well as intellectual culture, his self-deprecating book on his early years, “Unreliable Memoirs”, was a bestseller reprinted dozens of times. His book “Cultural Amnesia”, comprising short essays about more than 100 people who fascinated him - including writers Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka, filmmaker Federico Fellini and musicians from Duke Ellington to Erik Satie - testified to the breadth of his cultural and intellectual interests. James acted as informal adviser to Britain’s Prince Charles and his ex-wife Diana, something he wrote about in a searingly honest portrayal of their friendship and the phenomenon of Diana’s popularity after her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Vivian Leopold James was born in Sydney in 1939, changing his name to Clive as a child. He moved to England in 1962 and, after graduating from Cambridge University, remained there for the rest of his life. He died at his home in Cambridge on Sunday, his agents said. James taught himself French by reading the novels of Marcel Proust with a dictionary, joking that he “might have forgotten to say it took me 15 years”. He also spoke Russian, Japanese, German and Italian. -- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-28 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Andrew Dwyer Posted November 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted November 28, 2019 Always liked him on UK tv back in the eighties, he brought a new dimension of satire. A very likeable chap. RIP Clive. 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post samsensam Posted November 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted November 28, 2019 very sad, i always enjoyed reading and listening to him, he always seemed optimistic, even when he was pessimistic, well read, intelligent, humorous, likeable, unique. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgdanson Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdvfmGPDVkk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatOngo Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Clive was cool! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mfd101 Posted November 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted November 28, 2019 For many years, long ago, in my ignorance I thought he was just a clever comedian. Then I discovered he was actually a high intellectual who could both think and write, and had interesting things to say on just about everything. A great Aussie, appreciated even by the Poms. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mfd101 Posted November 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted November 28, 2019 9 minutes ago, wgdanson said: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdvfmGPDVkk Wrong Clive! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveE13 Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 RIP Clive. As others have said. Enjoyed watching him on tv. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgdanson Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 (edited) 51 minutes ago, mfd101 said: Wrong Clive! Whooops sorry. They look similar though. Edited November 28, 2019 by wgdanson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivor bigun Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Have read all his books , some more than once ,makes us oldies realize ,we dont live forever,mind you he did smoke 80 a day ,he had been ill for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgdanson Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 1 hour ago, mfd101 said: Wrong Clive! Not only me it seems https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/clive-james-confused-clive-anderson-20974197 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinchester Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Wonderful and humorous story teller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayboy Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 'Common sense and a sense of humour are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humour is just common sense, dancing. Those who lack humour are without judgement and should be trusted with nothing.' Clive James 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cats4ever Posted November 28, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted November 28, 2019 Unreliable Memoirs is laugh out loud funny in some passages. I remember his description of Italian studs trying to woo girls. I rarely laugh at a written word; maybe a smile. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legend49 Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 5 hours ago, mfd101 said: Wrong Clive! Yep you must be on funny cigarettes this isnt the Clive in the news release. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorG Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 The master of dry humour. Vale Clive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJPom Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Also responsible for introducing Margarita Pracatan, once seen never forgotten. Goodbye to a very clever and entertaining chap, RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchis Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 7 hours ago, webfact said: James acted as informal adviser to Britain’s Prince Charles and his ex-wife Diana, something he wrote about in a searingly honest portrayal of their friendship and the phenomenon of Diana’s popularity after her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/09/15/requiem-clive-james 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpoint Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 “If you don’t know the exact moment when the lights will go out, you might as well read until they do.” Clive James, on dealing with his terminal illness. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfd101 Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 25 minutes ago, orchis said: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/09/15/requiem-clive-james A nice read. Grows on you as you go along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert bloggs Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Cats4ever said: Unreliable Memoirs is laugh out loud funny in some passages. I remember his description of Italian studs trying to woo girls. I rarely laugh at a written word; maybe a smile. read the book and have it on tape ,listened to it again not long ago.in fact as i write this i just glanced over and saw it in the bookcase ,RIP. Edited November 28, 2019 by bert bloggs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick501 Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Thanks for the memories to the "Kid from Kogarah." Seriously funny guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3NUMBAS Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 80 is a good innings for a smoker but inevitable outcome ..a clever aussie.. but once claimed he could never find a french lover in paris when he was a young chap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thechook Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 I'm an aussie and didn't realise he was australian. Rumour has it he left Australia 60 yrs ago, never to return. Was a household name in the U.K but hardly even known in Australia wasn't even on australian media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavrix Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 11 hours ago, Thechook said: I'm an aussie and didn't realise he was australian. Rumour has it he left Australia 60 yrs ago, never to return. Was a household name in the U.K but hardly even known in Australia wasn't even on australian media. Well l am from Oz and certainly knew him. Do agree with you though that many Australians would not of known him (they are poorer for it IMO) I Watched his show "Saturday Night Clive" on the ABC in the 90's...even read a book about his journey at age 21 from Kogarah NSW to Tufnell Park London in 1961, and his life and career thereafter. Loved his work. He even had a cameo on Neighbours once playing a postman. RIP Clive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nglodnig Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Brilliantly funny - loved his stuff "Saturday Night Clive" was a must. RIP Clever funny man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannork Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 On 11/28/2019 at 3:43 PM, orchis said: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/09/15/requiem-clive-james Thank you for that link orchis. Tremendous writing and moving too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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